The New Woman
Image Credit: thesartorialist.blogspot.com
If there is such a thing as feminist fashion, you could define it like this. The defiance of flattery, prettiness and convention; a sartorial two fingers to targeted dressing for men. Women are dressing to please themselves, to please other women even – and whereas none of this is a revelation, it does herald a major shift in the right direction, ie. the mainstream. Finally designers like Miuccia Prada and Nicolas Ghesquiere, with their avant-garde silhouettes and unorthodox proportioning, are influencing more than front row fashions. I put to you the following evidence.
1. WAGs are no longer dressing like WAGs. The turbo-charged sexiness that was their selling point is no longer fashionable or, more importantly, relevant. Queen WAG Victoria Beckham wouldn’t be caught dead in that cleavage-defying vest and hotpants combo she donned for the World Cup. And rumour has it she wants a breast reduction. Porn star breasts are soooo 2006. Androgyny daahhling, androgyny is where it’s at.
2. ‘Ugly’ trousers. Can you remember a time when ugly trousers were this fashionable? Palazzo, peg leg, harem – gaping undercarriages, ankle-grazers, 80s style high waists and big hips. Do we really need bigger hips? As it turns out, as long as you get your styling right and balance the new proportions with strong heels and nipped waists, it’s all looking very…modern.
3. Mid-calf length dresses. Oh joy. A universally unflattering cut-off point for all but the leggiest of model, the hemlines have indeed dropped. But has our tolerance for ‘safe’ fashion gone down with them?
4. Footwear. Bother boots, brothel creepers, biker boots, buckles, spikes, studs, rivets. Jazz shoes, loafers, lace-ups, brogues, Chelsea boots. Can we get more butch?
5. Comme Des Garcon for H&M. The mountain shall come to Mohammed.
